ProPulse/Mi-T-M’s fight against COVID-19

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Two Peosta businesses have come together to do their part in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. ProPulse — a Schieffer Company and Mi-T-M have come together and formed a special hose and power washer combo that will help with disinfecting.

ProPulse creates several different kinds of hoses that usually run through their production line while Mi-T-M’s focus is on the pressure washer machine. Both have altered their production lines to create a machine that will combat the virus.

“ProPulse was contacted by the Mi-T-M Engineering Department with an urgent need related to COVID-19 mitigation,” Jeff Theis, ProPulse’s president and CEO, said. “The hose has a special inner tube and cover that is particularly resistant to the kind of disinfectant necessary.”

“Our sales guys started getting calls from their customers with an urgent need for equipment to help with disinfecting,” Dana Schrack, Mi-T-M’s vice president, said. “We immediately contacted ProPulse, and they were able to redesign an existing high-pressure hose to handle the disinfectant. Within two weeks of those first calls, we were shipping product.”

Once the hoses were finished, they were sent to the Mi-T-M factory for assembly with the pressure washer. While these factories are still in operation, they have taken certain safety precautions themselves to assure that none of their workers are put in harm’s way.

“We take it as our highest priority to have our employees practice social distancing and much higher levels of personal hygiene and sanitation,” Theis said. “We have taken dozens of steps since before the onset of the virus to help our employees in that respect.”

Businesses all across the country have felt the effects of COVID-19, and ProPulse is no different.

“Supply chain issues were felt here as early as the end of January and they continue today,” Theis said. “Numerous customers have had to cut back or even shut down, so the impact is quite serious.”

With that being said, both companies remain in operation. Theis credits the region of the state that he lives in.

“We are just pleased to keep our doors open, our employees working and to do our part for the community,” he said. “I think the speed of the collaboration regarding ProPulse and Mi-T-M shows the ‘can do’ attitude that we are used to here in eastern Iowa. I’m just glad to be of service.”